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Ceviche

Published Jan. 26, 2024

Ceviche
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
About 1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
5(596)
Comments
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Light and bright, vibrant and punchy, ceviche involves marinating raw seafood in citrus juice until it becomes opaque and toothsome. You’ll find many variations of the dish in coastal Latin America made with ingredients like coconut milk, ketchup and green olives. This colorful rendition is one style popular in Mexico, but if you leave out the tomatoes, cucumber and avocado, you’ll get a dish that’s common in Peru, the birthplace of ceviche. Whatever version you make, start with fish that’s as fresh as possible; ask your fishmonger what’s best for ceviche that day, and to make shrimp ceviche, see Tip.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1pound very fresh, firm fish, such as bass, snapper or fluke, skin removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • Salt
  • ½cup fresh lime juice (from 4 juicy limes)
  • 2medium tomatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 2Persian or mini seedless cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch pieces
  • ¼medium red onion, coarsely chopped and rinsed under cold water
  • 2jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1large avocado
  • ¼cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • Tortilla, plantain or sweet potato chips; tostadas; or Saltines, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

185 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 511 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a wide, shallow bowl, toss the fish with 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or a heaping ½ teaspoon fine sea salt until dissolved. Add the lime juice and stir to coat. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, jalapeños and a pinch of salt; stir to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 45 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. This timing is dependent on preference; the longer you leave the fish in the citrus, the more “cooked” and opaque it will be (longer than 45 minutes could end up dry and chewy, like a well-done steak), whereas a shorter marinade will result in fish that is opaque and firm on the outside and soft and juicy inside, like a medium-rare steak.

  3. Step 3

    When ready to serve, remove the pit from the avocado and dice into ½-inch pieces. Add the avocado to the ceviche and gently stir to coat in the lime juice, then drain off the liquid from the bowl. Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt. Serve spooned onto tortilla, plantain or sweet potato chips, tostadas, or Saltines.

Tip
  • For shrimp ceviche, it’s advisable to par-cook the shrimp before marinating it in lime juice. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add 1 pound large, peeled and deveined shrimp, and cook in the hot water until just opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board until cool enough to handle, then coarsely chop and proceed with the recipe.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
596 user ratings
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Comments

I recommend marinating the fish separate from the veggies and draining the lime juice used to cook it. You'll notice this lime juice will turn milky and will have a stronger fishy flavor. You can then add the fish to the veggie mixture, add more lime toss well, and let the flavors marinate and come together for a few minutes before serving. This makes all the flavors in your ceviche shine and avoids a fishy sauce. Also, please do not use jalapeños (smh). Serranos! Always serranos!

OMG, I do exactly this - draining and replacing the lime juice and I posted it above. It's def the way to go. I also temper the onion by rinsing it in hot water so it becomes sweeter. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar to reach the right level of acidity.

I omit the tomatoes and add mango.

I had just purchased peaches from the farmer's market that needed to be eaten right away, and didn't have avocado. I'll use avocado if I have it, but the sweetness of the peaches were delicious and really worked!

I used precooked frozen shrimp as fresh seafood is difficult to come by in the high desert. I added some chopped mango to the original recipe and it came out great.

I have made this twice and can say without hesitation: make it a day or several hours in advance. It allows the lime to mellow and the vegetables to blend and infuse the fish.

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